Want to ride a cable car? That’ll cost you more. Park a little sloppy? That might get cheaper.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is floating a package of fare and rate changes that would make Muni and cable cars more expensive for riders — while offering drivers a break on some parking tickets.
To address a $307 million budget shortfall, SFMTA staff presented options to the board Tuesday, including raising the price of a cable car ride to $15 and eliminating a discount on Muni for Clipper card users. But in a gesture of goodwill toward drivers, the agency would cut the price of a ticket for several infractions by $25 to $60.
If the ideas move forward and are approved by Mayor Daniel Lurie, they could generate $30 million for the SFMTA by June 2028.
Here are the key points.
$15 cable car trips
Tourists love the cable cars, and Lurie has promised to protect (opens in new tab) them, but they are expensive to operate. The SFMTA suggested jacking up the price of a ride from $9 to $15, starting Sept. 1. That’s a 66% increase, though the new fare would allow for unlimited rides in a day.
Discount disappears
Muni riders have gotten a nominal discount by paying with a Clipper card, but that would be eliminated by the SFMTA’s plan. Instead of paying $2.85, a Clipper card user would pay $3 per ride, just like cash-paying customers.
Fares would increase by another 10 cents in July 2027.
Clipper card users would pay $3 per ride under the proposal. | Source: Getty ImagesCheaper parking tickets
Scofflaw drivers stand to benefit the most from the SFMTA’s plan. Tickets for not curbing one’s wheels ($73), parking outside the lines ($76), repairing a car on the street ($108), or placing a parking permit on a vehicle it doesn’t belong to ($108) would all drop to $48.
The agency is suggesting this because those infractions generate only $500,000 annually but are the source of many customer complaints and cases contesting the citations.
“It feels like a gotcha for some folks,” said Diana Hammons, the SFMTA senior manager who presented the plan.
Late penalties for parking citations, which cost $41, would jump by 10% starting in July, though an exact fee amount was not discussed by the board.
Pricier parking
No one said it was all good news for drivers. Parking rates would increase too, but not right away. Under the proposal, parking meter rates would increase by 25 cents an hour in July 2027. The city approved a similar 25 cents an hour hike in May.
No more Muni day pass
The SFMTA would eliminate the Muni day pass for trains and buses, which gets you unlimited rides for $5.70. It would be replaced with “fare capping”: After paying for two trips in one day with a Clipper card, credit card or other digital account, additional rides for the rest of the day would be free. Fare capping wouldn’t apply to cash fares.
Parking rates would increase by 25 cents starting in July 2027 under an SFMTA plan to boost Muni funding. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The StandardWhen would this happen?
The plan is preliminary, and the next step will be to gather public feedback before the SFMTA board of directors votes on it April 21. The plan would then go to the mayor’s desk for his signature before taking effect.
Don’t forget taxes
Voters will decide in November on whether to deliver a bigger pool of money for the SFMTA. San Francisco residents may approve a parcel tax that would raise $187 million for Muni, while Bay Area voters can pass a sales tax increase to raise $1 billion for BART, Muni, and other transit systems. The SFMTA has threatened that if the tax measures don’t pass, it will make drastic Muni service cuts to stay solvent. Some service cuts have already been made.